The Guayana pike-conger (''Cynoponticus savanna'', also known as the Pike-headed eel or the Sapphire eel) is an
eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
in the family
Muraenesocidae
The Muraenesocidae, or pike congers, are a small family of marine eels found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Some species are known to enter brackish water.
Pike congers have cylindrical bodies, scaleless skin, narrow heads with large ...
(pike congers).''Cynoponticus savanna'' at www.fishbase.org. It was described by
Edward Nathaniel Bancroft
Edward Nathaniel Bancroft, M.D. (1772–1842) was an English physician, botanist, and zoologist, known for his writings on yellow fever.
Life
Bancroft was the son of Edward Bancroft. He was born in London and received his schooling under Charles ...
in 1831, originally under the genus ''
Conger
''Conger'' ( ) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 2 m (6 ft) or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during ...
''.Bancroft, E. N., 1831 (31 Oct.)
ef. 15966
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''Specimens were exhibited of several fishes, lately received from Dr. Bancroft of Kingston, Jamaica, Corr. Memb.'' Z. S. Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London 1830-31 (pt 1): 134-135. It is a
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
,
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
eel which is known from the western
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
, including
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. It dwells at a maximum depth of , and inhabits muddy substrates in bays and
estuaries
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environme ...
. Males can reach a maximum
total length
Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.
Overall length
* Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...
of , but more commonly reach a TL of .
The Guayana pike-conger's diet consists of
zoobenthos
Benthos (), also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone.Food items reported for ''Cynoponticus savanna'' at www.fishbase.org. It is of minor commercial use to fisheries, and is marketed fresh.